Source: Restored Ozark Mill centerpiece of Johnny Morris tourist destination What a great choice to preserve this piece of Ozark history.  I have spent a lot of time just upstream from here catching catfish when I was younger and always loved this mill.  I have included a selection from Born of the Ozarks that I wrote about mills in the Ozarks.  I hope you enjoy. The Old Mill I see the old mill sitting abandoned, with no water flowing near.  I hear it whisper to me.  It talks of the days when its great wooden wheel powered a whole community, Continue Reading →

Great article, about a great Ozark family from the Hartville, MO area.  I loved the quote about pictures of the family “sucker grabbing.” One annual family tradition that McMurtrey captured was sucker grabbing. Beau says as children, they were only allowed to go if their grades were good. “I joined the family for sucker grabbing, and when I showed them the pictures and they said, ‘All we have of this are the memories, no one has even taken photos of this’ and they loved it. They have done it their whole lives,” McMurtrey said. Grabbing and gigging were a Continue Reading →

Today’s Ozark History Blog was written by Kathryn Cantrell – my wife and frequent Editor. For Laura Ingalls Wilder, her career all began with storytelling. Storytelling was a favorite pastime and great entertainment for Laura’s family while she was growing up. Laura described her father as a great storyteller, and she herself kept the tradition going when she had her daughter Rose. Rose would listen intently as Laura told of the many adventures she had as a child: tales were told of traveling in a covered wagon into Indian territory, of the hardships of living upon a homestead, but Continue Reading →

Humorist, lecturer, author & steamboat Captain are just some of the many ways in which you will find Mark Twain described in today’s history books. I am impacted more by his skill as a social observer and descriptive writer though. His artistry in the description of human behavior has always held me in awe of his ability to see to the core of a person. It has not only allowed me a glimpse into the mind of a great writer but has also brought about a better understanding of myself, of my writing, and of those around me. Mark Twain is considered Continue Reading →

During summer vacation from school, I often spent time around Toll’s Blacksmith Shop on the corner of Cherry Street and Barnes Avenue in Springfield Missouri.  My father worked part time for Bill Toll as a Blacksmith and was apprenticed/taught by Bill over the years. Toll’s Blacksmith Shop was a big old barn left over from some earlier farm in the area.  It seems out of place in the middle of Springfield now, and so did the piles of metal in and around the old barn. In the back corner of the shop was a large open fire forge that vented to the Continue Reading →